


In For The Long Haul

by Twentytwosnails



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: A lot of flirting and ust, F/F, Pre-Relationship, Waverly tries not to be gay, While Nicole is very very gay
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-12
Updated: 2016-08-04
Packaged: 2018-07-23 16:02:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7469949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Twentytwosnails/pseuds/Twentytwosnails
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of un-seen conversations between Nicole and Waverly, leading up to Episode 9.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Coffee

**Author's Note:**

> This work is basically just a collection of scenes that could've happened between the episodes. Despite how great Wayhaught is, I thought it could've used more development. I apologize if the timeline gets a little funky, since I'm writing this based mostly off of memory of the show's progression. Nevertheless, enjoy.

Medium hazelnut cappuccino, half and half, added whipped cream.

When you man a bar for a long enough amount of time, you start to see the customer in the drink. Waverly knew a dozen or so German lagers, a handful of straight vodka shots, and even a few closeted Cosmopolitans. This wasn't the first time she'd known a coffee person within Shorty's, but in this case, it was the first really memorable one. And of course, how fitting it was to be hot beverage.

Mid-afternoon, around the first hour that Shorty's would open up, Officer Nicole Haught walked in every Monday, Thursday, and occasional Saturday. She almost always came in early and hardly ever ordered alcohol. Just a medium hazelnut cappuccino, with half and half milk, and added whipped cream. She'd stay around for half an hour, nursing her drink, and make pleasant small talk with Waverly, all the while donning the gentlest smile this side of Purgatory. 

Not that Waverly was complaining, of course. A big part of her (a surprisingly big part of her) was glad that the officer still came in at all after the hot mess she had demonstrated a few weeks ago. Being able to see her so frequently was a nice addition to her routine, outside of the police station and various crime scenes. An itching feeling plagued the back of her head at first, as she mentally fished for very heterosexual markers to indicate that she was, in fact, very heterosexual. That fear was dispersed when Officer Haught simply talked about the weather and local happenings, with no reference to their first conversation. This, she could handle. 

Or at least, she thought she could. Waverly didn't notice anything until Gus pointed it out. Apparently, whenever Haught came around, her customer skills seemed to suffer. Spent too much time "chit-chatting and giggling around that cop girl". Waverly would admit that she might get a little distracted, but that didn't mean anything. The officer was just another friendly face, offering some good conversation and a decent tip. Nothing wrong with that, right?

Waverly slid the piping hot cup of coffee across the bar, careful not spill over any of the foam. "One cappuccino ala Shorty's, up and ready."

Officer Haught met her back with a smile and a tip of her Stetson. "And in record time, too. My thanks, Ms. Earp."

Waverly responded with a short nod, just happy to make Haught happy. Her eyes wandered across the bar, seeing another customer that could probably use a refill. Before attending to that however, her gaze lingered back in the officer's direction. "I mean, are you sure you don't want liquor or something? Beer? Scotch? A shot of Kalua for the cappuccino? I actually feel kinda weird not serving you alcohol."

Officer Haught paused mid-way through lifting her drink. "It's 11 am in the morning."

Waverly released a sigh, internally chastising herself for the comment. "I know, I know, it's just rare that I get a regular that's not looking for a bar buzz or ten shots into a drunkenly stupid night." Waverly leaned onto her hands as she placed them against the bar. "People that come here usually look less for a pick me up and more for something to drown in."

The deputy managed to fit in one sip before raising an eyebrow. "Well, if you want me wasted and drooling on your counter Ms Earp, you just simply have to ask."

Waverly let out a small laugh, as she waved a dismissive hand. "Its fine, it's fine. Its kind of a nice change actually. And I don't want to be personally responsible for your downward spiral into debilitating alcoholism."

"No worries. I've got work to take care of that part," she said, forming a grimace against her next sip.

Waverly took another look around, noticing that a couple men had just sat down, having a chat. And there was still the other guy with an empty glass, who was now starting to shoot her expectant looks. Her fingers unconsciously curled against the bar surface, as she internally told herself to get back to work. But as she looked back at Haught, wiping the whipped cream off the edge of her lip with her thumb, Waverly figured that a minute or so more wouldn't hurt. 

"So, how is the old 9 to 5 treating you?"

Officer Haught made a short frown, tiredness already looming around the edge of eyes. "Its more like a 12 to whatever ungodly hour Nedly sees fit. I pretty much got slammed with paper work since the first day of the job, and it usually leads well into the night shift. My recent post doesn't really leave me with much time for drinking these days." She raised her cup up once more, making a small toast towards Waverly. "At this point, I've just accepted the fact that this cappuccino is the closet thing I have to salvation."

"Perfectly understandable. It's just not very often that a rough and rugged keeper of the law comes in looking for a 'light and nutty panache'," Waverly said, as she stopped herself from giggling near the end of her sentence. 

Haught shot her a serious look, as she tilted her head down. "A stern lawful demeanor isn't an excuse for a dull palette." She took a slow sip out of her cup, before letting the edge of her mouth curl up into a smirk. "And who said it wasn't the whipped cream that keeps bringing me back?"

"See, I knew there was something about you that I liked, Officer Haught," Waverly said, as the other woman responded with laughter. Waverly grabbed at one of the beer glass below the bar, her eyes darting momentarily over to the other customers, before meeting Haught's once more. "But hey, we got at least one coffee stand around here, and if you ignore the fact that the curator is perpetually stoned, it serves just as well. What's really the reason?"

Officer Haught simply shrugged, as she leaned her crossed arms onto the bar surface. "Honestly, I really do like it here. The ambience, the drinks, the fine company," she said, her eyes quickly moving down and up in Waverly's direction. Waverly could've sworn that she felt her heart beat just a little bit faster as Haught's voice took a lower tone. "I'm just a woman with simple desires, Ms. Earp."

"Waverly." Waverly immediately regretted how quickly she blurted it out. She shook her head, waving a hand in front of her. "It's ah - you can just call me Waverly."

Officer Haught nodded and smiled, the light reflecting off of her oaken brown eyes. "Well then. I guess you can just call me Nicole from now on."

Waverly immediately looked down, hoping that tinge she felt in her cheeks wasn't visible. She began to stumble against her next set of words. "So uh ... No more officer Haught-stuff? Haught-Rod? Haught-dog, if I may ever be so bold?" Waverly rambled on, fully aware of how embarrassing she looked right now.

Nicole just laughed, shaking her head all the while. "Whatever makes you happy."

When Gus finally hollered at her to get back to work, Waverly saw it as a minor blessing, to prevent her from making a further fool out of herself. She gave a small wave to Nicole before turning around, putting herself back in the working mind set. She could still feel Haught's eyes on her back, and a not-so-small part of her wanted to meet them again.


	2. Boyfriend

Around 11pm was when Shorty's was up to it's usual hustle and bustle. The daily sets of regulars and pit stoppers were all at their places, whether it was at the bar, the pool table, or passed out on the floor. The hecticness of it all only played into the following chain of events.

Waverly had finally been blessed with a ten minute break, which was something she definitely needed after the particularly draining night. Champ had come in earlier to have his usual set of drinks, but also to pay his girlfriend a visit. It was a frequent routine of theirs, which usually ended up with them making out in the corner before being yelled at by Gus to get back behind the bar. 

Sometimes though, it did thread on Waverly's nerves. Nights where Waverly was honestly just too damn tired to responds Champ's antics, she usually just resigned to sitting, smiling, and let Champ get what he can while still keeping his pants on. So of course, of course, of course, of course, while in the midst of having her entire cheek devoured, came in Officer Bright-and-Early, coming in 12 hours later than she usually did. It was an awkward tumble of smiling and waving, while trying to deflect Champ's kisses without literally shoving him off. Nicole simply waved back, not looking too perturbed, and took her seat. 

Waverly cut the break a couple minutes short, fumbling out some made up reason for getting back to work. Champ sat and pouted, but she figured he'd likely get over it with the next to drink or skirt he saw. The entire time, she chided herself for looking just so damn eager to serve this one particular customer and she couldn't even hide it. Waverly quickly settled herself behind the bar, things at the ready, somewhat frazzled eyes finally meeting up with Nicole's. "I - Hey Uh - um ... Hi."

Nicole just closed her eyes and smiled. "Hi."

Waverly began to nervously straighten out her hair, already feeling all sorts of embarrassed and uneasy. "God, I'm sorry for all of that. I usually don't see you around this time - ever, really."

"Don't worry about it. I powered through most of the documentation today and Nedly let me off early. Thought to treat myself a little." Nicole took a moment to look around, before setting her eyes on the rack of liquor. "You do Johnny Walker on the rocks?"

Waverly let out a low whistle. "Careful there cowgirl, that sounds a bit stronger than your typical cup of coffee."

"I know how to saddle up just fine," she said, as she threw in a playful wink.

Waverly was already enjoying her first couple minutes back on duty, albeit in a more flustered manner than she expected. She set out the glass, dropped in a couple ice cubes, and poured the smoothest stream of whiskey she'd ever poured before. She passed the drink over, which was met with the usual nod and tip of the Stetson. 

"So, you mind if I ask about the guy that's constantly trying to eat your face?"

Waverly's eyebrows shot up. After a moment, her face settled back, as she sat down the bottle of whiskey. "Oh, that's just my boyfriend. Champ Hardy is sort of a local bad boy round these parts." Waverly bit at the corner of her lip, as she already noticed Champ trying to chat up another girl. "Then again, most of the guys here are pretty bad."

Nicole's eyes followed in the same direction as Waverly's, spotting the frat boy in an instant. "Ah yes, the infamous boy-man." Nicole took a long sip of her drink. "He treating you right?"

Waverly had paused for just a moment, before quickly rambling on. "Yeah, of course. I mean, good looks, bulging muscles, a roaring pick up - what more can a girl want?"

"A lot more, in my opinion," Nicole said, her eyes now on the girl that had just taken a seat next to Champ. She pursed her lips before turning back to Waverly. "But hey, if you're happy, that's all that ever really matters." 

Waverly nodded quickly, trying her best to seem happy and not at all dissatisfied or disappointed. In a further frantic haze, Waverly attempted to organize an array of clean glasses beneath her. Her frustration only grew as everything just refused to stay in their place, like the glasses and the bottles and the desires of raging hormonal men.

"You are happy, right?"

Waverly almost jumped, completely caught off guard. "Oh - yeah, don't worry about it. I mean yeah, we've run into a rough patch recently and its hard to keep his eyes off of others girls tits, but what can you do? Boys will be boys."

"Trust me, I know," Nicole said, before shooting back the rest of her drink in one fast motion. 

Waverly's eyes drew down to the bar surface. She couldn't bring herself to look directly up, as Nicole was clearly not warming up to Champ's character. Waverly cleared her throat and placed a steady hand on the bar, some bubbliness coming back to her voice. "It's all good. Champ's not that bad, even if he sometimes give me hard time - figuratively and literally, if you know what I'm saying," Waverly said, laughing maybe just a bit too hard at the joke she had just made. Nicole simply stared back at her with a completely neutral expression. Waverly pretended to cough, as she shifted around the conversation. "So what about you Officer? Broken a lot of hearts in your day?"

Nicole laughed, her palm settled over the top of her glass. "I wouldn't say that."

"Oh come on, tall, fair, and dangerous? I'm surprised you're not practically drowning in it."

Nicole shook her head, as she pushed the glass back over. "I've had a flame or two in the past, nothing too special. Call it cliche, but I'm still waiting for the right one to come around."

Before Nicole could reach for her wallet, Waverly's hands were already on the Johnny Walker. She poured the glass back to it's original amount and pushed it back once more. The look of surprise and appreciation that donned Nicole's face was more than enough to make Waverly smile. 

Nicole licked the bottom of her lip, faux offense coloring her voice. "Are you trying to get me drunk, Ms. Earp?"

"I just like seeing my customers happy."

"Same difference, at this point," Nicole said, as she wasted no time taking a drink. She settled it down, as she eyed the corner of the bar. "But like I said, when you know that there's somebody out there that'll make your toes curl, why settle for anything less?"

Waverly nodded and placed the whiskey back in the spot. "That's really cute. I mean, not to be condescending or anything. It's a legitimately nice way to think about it," Waverly said. Her eyes drew once more to Champ; on his fifth beer, laughing as loud as he can, his hands on another girl. 'That's as good as it's gonna get', she remembered hearing so many people tell her. 'Especially for an Earp'. She sighed and laced her hands together. She leaned her forearms onto the bar, catching Nicole's gaze. "I just feel like when you're stuck in town like this one though, it'd be hard to get around. I mean, isn't there always the possibility that, you know, the perfect fit doesn't really exist?"

Nicole made a small shrug, before grabbing the side of her glass. She leaned in until she was only a couple of inches away. "Guess that makes me a fool. It's nice to have hope though. Wouldn't you agree?" Nicole smiled, eyes refusing to leave Waverly's. 

Waverly immediately felt like a lump had jumped into her throat. Her eyes darted down for just a moment, taking in the sight of her neck, as well as the slight parting between her lips. Waverly snapped her eyes back up, realizing that she might have been looking for just a bit too long. She took step back from the bar, disengaging from the stare off. "Alright, alright. Can't knock you down there, Captain Optimistic," Waverly said as she formed a thin smile, trying to recollect herself. She grabbed at a few glasses from down below, preparing for the next set of patrons. "Though I'm sure you'll find no shortage of suitors ready to swoon into your arms."

Nicole simply lifted her glass up mid-way, her expression unchanged. "Can't wait."

Nicole eventually left after the second drink, leaving behind a generous tip. Shortly after, Champ began to get up as well, leaving her with a smack on the ass. All the while, Waverly tried to ignore the girl that left before him, that was very obviously heading towards his truck. For the next several hours of work, Waverly tried to focus less on remembering where she'd placed the shotgun again, and more so on trying to straighten out her toes.


	3. Research

It was rare for Waverly to get a Saturday night off. As a young, hip, 21 year old in the prime of her life, most would expect Waverly to be out of the town, partying it up, and living out her precious few years of acceptable irresponsibility with reckless abandon. She could've easily called up the girls or burnt out the midnight oil in a club. Despite all of that, Waverly instead chose to lock herself up in the back of the police department and choke on the dust of 130 year old documents.

Preferably, Waverly would've been out alongside her sister and Agent Dolls, tracking down revenants and sending them back to hell. (Which, obviously, would have been helped by Waverly's trove of knowledge and natural wit and girlish charm) But apparently, despite having proven her usefulness, neither Dolls or Wynonna deemed her ready for the field yet. "You get kidnapped by demons one time and apparently, that makes you a liability, as well as a baby and a loser," she had grumbled to herself, as she thumbed through the pages of some massive tome.

Nevertheless, Waverly didn't fight it; maybe with enough time, or understanding, or experience with shooting people in the face, she would finally have a part in the action. Until then, she settled for the next best thing, which was procuring as much intel as possible. The array of texts in front of her were equal parts historical evidence of real people's lives, as well Latin encased chants of ancient procedures. After years of waiting, at least she was finally able to put all this stuff to use - albeit 6 years earlier than she had expected. 

Waverly was in the middle of a case file when Nicole had walked into the room. The officer paused the second she had opened the door, taking a moment to process what she had done. "Ah - shit. I probably shoulda knocked before coming in." 

"Don't even worry - it's just me Nicole," Waverly said, making herself present beneath the single table lamp that was on. 

Waverly could see the relief wash across her face, as Nicole closed the door behind her. "Oh, good. I already have one treason charge under my belt. I'm trying to avoid a collection." She walked forward, a folder in one hand. As she came into the light, Waverly noticed the dark bags growing beneath Nicole's eyes, as well as her usual tight French braid coming undone in certain parts. The officer stopped for a second, taking a look around. "Where are the others?"

"Wynonna and Dolls are out and about with Black Badge business, which is apparently too dangerous for some lowly researcher to be interfering with," Waverly said, as she leaned into the back seat of her chair, a grimace formed against her face. "I'm just kinda stuck here, waiting for their return and trying to make some progress."

Nicole nodded and placed the folder on one of the rare clear areas of the table. "Gotcha. Just got some reports that some of the higher ups wanted me to drop by agent Dolls before clocking off. Hope I'm not a bother."

"Oh no, you're pretty much the opposite. It's nice to see a face that hasn't been dead for the past 130 years. Pretty one at that, too." When Nicole responded to the comment with a big smile, Waverly felt equal parts proud and like a huge idiot. She forcibly cleared her throat, as she began to move one of the chairs next to her. "Would you like a seat? I mean, I know it's late and you're obviously very tired, but ... I could use the company."

Despite the tiredness that was well set in Nicole's features, Waverly's offer seemed to liven her right up. "I'm always happy to oblige." As she settled into the chair, Nicole's eyes immediately caught onto the scattering of papers and journals. "Is Black Badge making you do jigsaw puzzles?"

"Practically," Waverly said, mild frustration working behind her voice. Waverly then quickly realized that research on long dead cowboys wasn't typical crime investigation work, as Nicole looked somewhat perplexed by the collection. Waverly scrambled to explain the display before her. "Uh, well, a lot of the cases Black Badge is investigating have strong ties to historical events, particularly with outlaws and suspected cult affairs. Purgatory itself is a living breathing monument to the old west, so these things are bound to crop up. For me, it means staring at dozens of pictures of men with handlebar mustaches big enough to ride a bike with."

Nicole's eyes were still wide, as they glazed over the mugshot of Buffalo Bill one second, and a sketch of a demon wielding a pitchfork within the next. "Sounds like quite the hassle."

Waverly immediately perked up, as she raised a defensive finger and began to rearrange some of the files. "Oh, it actually really isn't! Do you know how much I had to beg Agent Dolls to get my grubby little hands on some of these books? Not to mention half of them were taken out of my personal collection," she said, not bothering to hide the pride in her voice.

Nicole leaned back, nodding and looking seemingly impressed. "Well, this really is quite the arrangement. Most I know about any of this comes from rewatching 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid' over and over." 

"No shame there. I, for one, support all things involving thick accents and Paul Newman." Waverly took a moment to take in the sight, noting how she managed to the cover the entire table over the course of the night. This was still only a fraction of the work she had procured. All the files, all the charts, all stemming from the dreams of girl hoping to one day be heir. 

After a moment, she shook the thought out of her head, and looked back at Nicole. "Aside for some other reasons, I always did just get a rush from it. For Wynonna growing up, it was getting arrested, and for me, it was trying to find out which one of the Wild Bunch was secretly a Satanist."

A wide grin appeared on Nicole's features, as she crossed her arms and leaned back into her seat. "Well color me shocked - Waverly Earp, the town sweetheart, is secretly a massive nerd." Nicole laughed when she was met with a light slap to the shoulder. She put her hands up in defense as well as a sort of mock surrender, before scooting in her chair and gesturing towards the table. "Joking aside Waves, this is actually really amazing. I can't imagine the amount of time and concentration its taken to amass all of this. And the fact that Black Badge, of all things, finds it useful must make it valuable."

Waverly looked directly at Nicole as she spoke, each word coming out as genuine and sincere. Waverly herself found herself smiling uncontrollably and had to look down from the embarrassment of it. This was probably the first time someone had shown so much support for her research since her uncle was alive. It felt nice not to be seen as some silly girl with a crazy collection of antiques, but as an intelligent and valuable member of a team. Her gaze turned back to the table, as one of her hands began to idly flip through one of the open books.

"Thanks. I mean, for all the complaining I've done, I'm actually more than happy that Black Badge let's me do all this. For years, it was just me and a flashlight at 3am, sorting through my secret stash of newspaper clippings and forgotten journals in the corner of my room. Even then, I always had to push it all aside for school and cheerleading and shopping." Waverly laid her hand flat on top of the table, as her features turned pensive. In high school, she remembered desperately wanting to be seen as "the normal one" in the family. She remembered deflecting any sort of mention of her last name and trying her hardest to be absolutely normal, to fit in. She brought her hands together, eyes still turned down. "In the end, I didn't want to be another town pariah. I wanted to live and have fun and do all sorts of stereotypical teenage shenanigans. But it meant that the weirdo obscure historical research would just have to wait."

When Waverly looked back up, she noticed that Nicole seemed a lot closer to her than originally. Her eyes were attentive, as she listened to what Waverly had to say. She leaned in, taking a moment to pause, as if she was thinking about what to say next. Her voice was soft as she spoke. "I get that. But it's always good to be open with yourself. People usually hide away the parts that represent them the most." She placed an assuring hand on Waverly's arm. "I can tell that this is good for you, Waves. And its definitely doing good for others. That's certainly something to feel proud of."

A part of Waverly was disappointed when Nicole let her hand drift off from her. A part of her wanted to hold it and keep it against hers and not let go. Instead, she took a shallow breath and smiled, just overall appreciative of the affirmation Nicole provided. Waverly felt good; she felt good with her books and her journals and her wits and her wayward sister that always came back to ask her for help or information. Despite all the craziness the curse had to brought to her life, she could honestly say that there wasn't anything she'd rather be doing right now. Things were good - Nicole just had a tendency of making things better.

Waverly let out a big gust of breath, before leaning back. "I know that now. I mean, for once in my life, it feels good to actually be making a difference. And believe me, never have I felt more at home surrounded by cowboy hats and pentagrams." She shrugged and waved a dismissive hand. "And hey, what would you expect? High school is hell."

"You could say that again."

As the seconds rolled between them, Waverly looked at the pile of work on the table that was very much unfinished, and then to Nicole, who she very much didn't want to leave.  
"How bout you, huh? Do a lot of hiding back in those days?"

Like a lot things she said, Waverly felt stupid immediately after she had opened her mouth. For christ's sake, she could've asked her if it felt cramped being stuck inside a closet and it would've had the same effect. Luckily, Nicole didn't take the foolhardy bait and simply answered it like normal question. "Ah, nothing noteworthy. I mostly threw myself into sports and academics, nothing big." Nicole paused for second. She raised her finger up, a small smirk on her face. "I did date a boy once."

Waverly gasped in exaggerated horror, a hand placed against her chest. "How terrible! How did you even survive the whole ordeal?"

"Oh, it was horrific. He never wore deodorant, every kiss had tongue in it, and he didn't know the definition of 'no' even if you beat into him with a dictionary." Nicole laughed, before folding her arms together and leaning against them. "When the whole thing ended with me giving him a broken nose, I figured I wouldn't ever be making that mistake again."

"Ah come on, now you have to tell me how the whole thing went down."

A wide smile popped up on Nicole's face, as she offered out a hand. "I'll make you a deal; you tell me which outlaw from wild bunch most likely practiced black magic, and I'll tell you how Jeremy Fisher got sucker punched at senior prom."

Waverly's hand was within Nicole's in a second. "You've got yourself a deal!"


	4. Car Ride

Things were shit.

In all honesty, it was the only way Waverly was able to describe her current experience. Stranded out in a desolate highway in the midst of below freezing temperature was definitely on the lower end of her shit list, somewhere next to literally dying or getting attacked by raccoons. She barely held herself together, cold seeping into every possible crevice of her jacket, as she waited for the police car to roll up.

Waverly was a good driver. Waverly was a great driver. She maintained proper following distance, she always followed the speed limit, and she always looked both ways. God or karma or some other omnipresent force must have caused her car to skid across the road and crash into the rail fence - that was the only possible way. While mostly unharmed herself, the front of her truck wasn't, the corner of it completely totaled flat, popping open the hood alongside a billow of smoke.

A few months ago, this wouldn't have been as big of a deal. Accidents happened, it wasn't the end of the world. However, when your family is the last bastion of defense against serial killers, cannibals, witches, and 77 spawns out of hell, it might as well be the end of the world. Waverly was frustrated, not just for the sake of it, but more so for the prospective revenant she just lost trail of, or the ear full she'd get from Dolls at the station, or the fifty billion ways her sister could've died horrifically while she was gone. It was all just so much that it made Waverly want to scream. It was all she practically did for the first five or so minutes before actually calling the police.

Nicole didn't deserve any of this. When she picked up the phone, Waverly knew there was a good chance that Officer Haught would be dispatched, given that the newly assigned deputy was typically thrown into traffic detail. When Nicole pulled up to the side of the road, gallant and sure, her hands hooked into the buckle of her belt, Waverly wanted to smile. Hell, on any other day, she would've given the woman the biggest bear hug she could muster. Today just wasn't it. Today was bloodshot and heavy lidded and full of colorful variations on very inappropriate language.

The officer had her notes at the ready, trying her best to fit into a stern demeanor. "Well, Ms. Earp, why don't you give me the full detail of what happened here."

Waverly let out a harsh laugh, as dry and frigid as the winter air surrounding her. She burrowed her hands further into her pockets, just short of punching holes into them. "Ha, well, OK Officer Haught, let me see - my car is totaled! Yeah, I mean, it's just completely wrecked! Crashed! Bamboozled! Absolutely fucked! And you know, in all my 5 years of driving on this same icy barren highway, I don't think there is literally a single day that would've been worst for the car-accident gods to literally punch me in the metaphorical dick, but hey, ha, what can you do?" After all but running out of breath during her tirade, Waverly put on a forced smile, while the look of murder was still very alive in her eyes.

Officer Haught coughed a little. "Well Ms. Earp, that's quite uh ... Quite all the detail I needed there."

Soon enough, Haught was able to call in a tow truck to bring the car to the nearest auto garage. When the officer made the offer to give her a ride home, Waverly was quick to jump on it. The second she stepped into the well-heated police car, Waverly could feel the bulk of her anger physically melt away. The warmth soothed her muscles, as well as her nerves. When Nicole stepped in, it was made all the better by a reassuring squeeze of the shoulder and an early morning grin. Things were still shit, but at least it was getting better.

Waverly gave herself a few more minutes to steady back into a decent mental place. The calmness of the passenger seat as well as Nicole's stable presence was enough to help her forget her worries for just a bit. The looming repair bill and hunt for the last of the seven were still ever present in her head, but at least for now, she could relax her mind. Things were safe here.

Waverly held her hands up to the air conditioner, rubbing her hands together alongside the heat. "Gosh, for a vehicle that's suppose to contain armed felons, it's actually pretty cozy in here." 

She could see Nicole loosen up in her posture, as the slight tension in the air was relieved. The corner of her mouth perked up, her eyes still trained on the road. "Yeah, I think the Purgatory Police Department actually did that on purpose. It's all part of a big push to decrease crime, since obviously, the criminals would be too busy takings naps to commit any crimes."

"Yeah, I bet. Polished leather seats, multiple cup holders - all that's missing would probably be those rehabilitation kittens. Or puppies."

"Or both."

"God, why haven't they given you a promotion yet?" The following laughter that ensued from Nicole was enough to lift whatever remaining doubts that plagued Waverly's head. Her next set of words were spoken with a warmer tone. "Seriously though Nicole, I can't thank you enough for the ride. I know it's part of your job and everything, but I'm certain that this is taking time away from a more important task."

Nicole waved a dismissive hand. "Don't even worry about it. If anything, stuff like this is more of a perk of the job." She turned her glance towards Waverly, a bright glint in her eye. "And I mean, come on; cute girl shivering off the side of the road, caught in a tough spot - what else was I supposed to do?"

Waverly snorted. "Laugh and drive way?"

Nicole shook her head with a sigh of defeat. "I rest my case." 

Waverly looked down for a moment, as she figured out how to phrase her next set of words. There was still something she needed to address and she'd like to do it before Nicole procured any confusion or doubts. She pivoted her gaze over to the window. "I'd also really like to apologize for whatever irritation I let out on you earlier on. Usually something like this wouldn't get to me, but a lot of crazy shits been happening in Purgatory recently; doesn't really help that the last of whatever family I have left keeps putting themselves in constant danger." Waverly closed her eyes for a moment and let out a gust of breath, as if she could physically expel her problems away. "I had no idea an accident would end up being the tip of the iceberg for me."

"Hey, it's totally fine. In your position, I'd probably start going crazy too. This town really has some problems, and the excessive amounts of leather and unfortunate facial tattoos doesn't really helping," Nicole said, as she brought the vehicle to a slower speed. "You're allowed to have a breakdown once in a while, yknow."

"I referred to the incident as being punched in the metaphorical dick."

Nicole shrugged. "And I can't blame you; life can be quite the dick puncher."

Waverly let herself laugh, in part to express her relief. She turned back towards Nicole, her hands raised up. "I just wanted to make sure. I didn't want you to think that I was mad at you or anything. It was just a lot of my own personal baggage spilling over."

Nicole nodded, before meeting Waverly's eye for a moment. "Well, then consider this car to be a safe place. Ain't no one gonna judge you here." She lifted her hand up with crossed fingers. "Scout's honor."

Waverly couldn't help but giggle. "Don't Girl Scouts just sell cookies all day?"

"That's a highly sexist assumption and my 13 medals should tell you otherwise," Nicole said, as she tried her best to put on a serious expression, while the fringes of her face kept cracking into a smile.

Waverly eased into her seat, just letting her whole body slump back. For the next few minutes, she'd periodically glance back at Nicole, whose gaze remained straight forward. For the moment, everything just felt nice. The warm air that blew steadily near the bottom of her neck, the low rumble of the vehicle as it cruised down the highway, and Nicole. Nicole, who was consistently there for her, despite all her inane ramblings, despite all the things that she wasn't allowed to tell her. She was there with kind eyes and open ears and that was more than enough for Waverly. She just wished that she could tell her everything; about black badge, about the revenants, about her family. The words would so easily pour out of her, before hitting a dam at back of her throat. Not to mention the possibility that Nicole would just think she's a wacko, like everyone said her family was, and she'd lose her. The thought scared her so much more than she expected it to as she looked back at Nicole, humming quietly to herself, thumb unconsciously rubbing against the wheel. 

So instead of letting the dam burst out, she reduced it down to a trickle. Waverly licked at the bottom of her lip before speaking up. "Y'know, back in elementary school, I remember when some of the popular girls on the playground would tease me about Wynonna being sent to juvie," she said. "You don't how much I wanted to punch the grin off of their smug little faces. Instead, I just laughed and played along. I sucked it up and pretended that it didn't bother me."

Nicole was quiet for just a moment, before piquing up. "How'd it feel?"

"I guess it felt good. At first. But then I just felt kinda lousy."

Nicole grimaced. "Honestly, I would've socked em."

A sigh escaped from Waverly's breath. "Yeah? The more I think about it, I wish that I had socked them too." She moved her arm up against the window and leaned her head onto her hand. "I don't know, I guess it's just always been like this. For most of my life, I've always tried my hardest to be the "Good Earp", you know? So I mean, it's this constant act of trying to always be nice and bubbly and good natured, while keeping everything else under the water. And sometimes, everything just becomes too much, especially now with my sister coming back and this whole crime syndicate investigation. It feels harder and harder to be the "Good Earp" and all the terrible things I've tried to hide are coming out of the water. So I don't know, I guess I just kinda feel guilty, roping you into all of this as well."

Nicole snorted. "You feel guilty about roping me into things? And here I thought coming into Shorty's every other day looked desperate," she said in a light hearted manner. After seeing the pensive look on Waverly's face, however, Nicole quickly changed her tone. "In all seriousness Waves, you're only human. You're allowed to be stressed and worn out and angry at the world, especially with all the shit it's been throwing at you. You deserve to have some space to be upset in and anyone who thinks otherwise is a massive hypocrite."

Waverly wished she had a better response; some empirical piece of evidence that she could bring up to prove otherwise. Instead, all she could muster up was a sigh. "You're too nice to me."

"Honestly, I think you're just too hard on yourself. Not that I can blame you, what with the way this town yaps on. Gossiping left and right about the Earp girls," Nicole said with a shrug. "You'd almost think that the name has a curse on it."

Waverly bit at the side of her tongue. "Yeah, something like that."

"You just need to find more people who like Waverly for Waverly, not for anything else."

Waverly leaned over towards Nicole, arm against the center. "Well, what about you?"

Nicole shot her a quizzical look. "What about me?"

"Do you like Waverly for Waverly?"

Nicole simply smiled and raised her eyebrows.  
"Waverly is great. She's amazingly intelligent, resourceful, and has a smile that literally outshines the sun," she said, with a charming amount of sincerity. "The real question is, does Waverly like Nicole for Nicole?"

Waverly practically scoffed at the question, as she leaned further into her arm. "Are you kidding me? Nicole is outrageously charming, super supportive, and looks way too good in a deputy uniform for it to be legal."

"Ah well, you know what Nicole thinks?" She said, wide smile plastered against her face. "Nicole thinks that we should probably stopping talking in third person cause we currently look like a couple of jackasses."

Waverly felt herself burst out into laughter, as she began to shake her head. "Fair enough, fair enough." 

The next several minutes passed in content silence, as the vehicle made its way closer and closer to the homestead. A part of her almost didn't want the ride to end, as it meant repair bills and worried phone calls and life outside of this "safe place" that Nicole made for her. Nevertheless, when the police car finally made its stop along the Earp driveway, Waverly held her breath. Nicole gave a courteous nod and unlocked the doors. 

"Well Ms. Earp, I believe that this is your stop. Feel free to give us a call if you find yourself in another sticky situation."

Waverly nodded and reached for the door handle. Before it grabbing it, however, she paused for a moment and turned back towards Nicole. The officer herself looked the slightest bit sad. She quickly reached her hand over to lay on top of Nicole's hand, which was still perched on the stick shift. "Hey Nicole?" Waverly noted the way that Nicole's breathing halted the second she placed her hand against her own. "I uh - I just wanted you to know that you're a damn good friend. And I'm really glad that I can count on you to be there for me." As Waverly spoke, she squeezed the hand just a bit tighter, wanting to feel the warmth of Nicole's skin against her own.

Nicole seemed almost at a loss for a moment, as her mouth opened up, but nothing came out. She simply pivoted her hand by the slightest bit and encased Waverly's hand into her own, thumb gently drawing up against the side of her fingers. Nicole spoke softly, her eyes trained on the other girl. "Of course, Waverly. Anything for you."

Waverly allowed herself to enjoy the moment for just another second, to lose herself within this bubble of security that Nicole had given her. And just like that, within the span of a heartbeat, she pulled away, her other hand already opening the door and leading herself out. Not wanting to think at all about what she had just done, she quickly closed the door. Despite whatever flash of disappointment she saw flash over Nicole's features, the police officer simply offered her a smile and a short wave goodbye. Waverly gave her own wave before quickly turning around, making a beeline for the doorway. She heard the car behind her rev up and start to pull out, the sound of the engine eventually fading out.

With each step Waverly took, she internally chastised herself for being so awkward and weird and stupid and unable to think properly before she acted. When she got inside, she'd deal with important phone calls, extensive research, and making sure that no one got stabbed or eaten alive. All the while, she tried her damnedest to forget how Nicole's hand felt against her own, and she definitely tried not to think about how it'd feel against the rest of her body as well.


End file.
